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All posts for the month November, 2014

I was pondering recently, as yet again I realised that I had no recollection of somewhere in New Zealand that I had visited 12 years previously, as to whether I was a bad traveller or simply have an awful memory.

I suppose as you go through life, you may recall events because of exciting experiences, because of the people you enjoyed (or endured) them with or simply because they gave you an emotional or spiritual uplift. There can be many reasons.

When I went travelling in 2002 and took in Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii and Canada there were certain things I recall…

1. I loved the scenery in Canada and New Zealand.
2. Vancouver is a beautiful city. Possibly my favourite.
3. I did a bungy jump in Queenstown from the Pipeline bridge over Skippers Canyon. I have a certificate of insanity.
4. I made some good friends who remain as such years later.
5. The East Coast of Australia is quite repetitive when on a bus.
6. Lake Superior is vast…as are the Canadian prairies.
7. I discovered and lived on Subway sandwiches.
8. I was on TV in the Olympic stadium while watching the Montreal Expos.
9. When I first arrived on my own in Cairns, it was possibly the most miserable I had ever been…”why am I doing this?”.
10. The sight from the top of the Fox Glacier (after the helicopter trip to get there) on the South Island was truly breathtaking.

OK, this isn’t all of them but in 5 months it might seem an small list of highlights in some ways. I wonder if I really took full advantage of the experience or if I perhaps worried about spending too much money on things like socialising or worried about my stuff being taken or my next destination too much!

Whatever way I look at it though, it was still one of the best things I ever did. Leaving a job which had gone past its sell by date (I will never forget a morning in November 2001 when I was having a bad day at work, put the phone down, had my head in my hands and just thought for the first time “That’s it, I am going travelling”) and discovering that I actually could get out there on my own and survive was great.

So, what makes a good traveller? Is it the desire to explore? Is it the willingness to step outside your comfort zone? Is it doing new things? Is it immersing yourself in new cultures? I guess is it different for everyone who ever had a mind to step out of their home and see something of the world that wasn’t a part of their everyday routine.

And I can honestly say that I have travelled far and wide since 2002 and have always gained something different from those times (and coming back to NZ makes me realise that I am a different person with different interests now). The hardest part is perhaps just making the decision to go and then acting on and sticking to it…but once you do, great things await those who are in control of their destination. Take the first step…you will never regret it!

There is a little known resident of New Zealand that has its own root on the Tree of Life. It is a unique species.

It is a creature which may be the longest lived creature on Earth. One which has lived for millions of years (since the Dinosaur age) and, like the coelacanth, is termed a living fossil. This creature is the Tuatara.

It is a reptile which is endemic to New Zealand. It can live for a reputed 200 years. With so much time on your hands…why do anything quickly?

They reach sexual maturity at 10-20 years old and there is a Tuatara which is actively breeding at well past its centenary here today. They are able to reduce their heart rate in extremes of temperature to ensure their survival and temperature determines the sex of the offspring so climate change could be disastrous.

The final fact which is truly remarkable though is that they are born with a fully-functioning third eye in the top of their heads – perhaps to mitigate against predation. Amazing.

You won’t be surprised to learn that like so many of New Zealand’s native wildlife, Tuatara are under threat from introduced mammalian predators like stoats and rats. Thankfully, conservation work is giving them hope and there is recent evidence of Tuatara hatching outside captivity in special pest-controlled wildlife sanctuaries! Fantastic!

Here is a photo of Bruce, from the Kiwi Birdlife Park in Queenstown, so you can get an idea of what they look like…the name Tuatara is from Maori meaning “spiny back”…look closely…

At 4:35am on 4th September 2010, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Christchurch on New Zealand’s South Island. Just over four years to the day after it happened, I landed here with little intention of hanging around for long after seeing news items regarding continuing problems with thousands of people still living in temporary accommodation, insurance companies not paying out, floods causing sewage leakages…I could go on…it seems shocking in a developed country really – especially so long afterwards. I have heard it described by locals as a national disgrace.

A colleague of mine described how on his return home after the quake, many of the points he used to use to navigate by road had just disappeared. Building safety in earthquakes is mainly to try to allow people to get out safely…it doesn’t guarantee the building will remain.

I didn’t recall much of the city from my first visit in 2002 but I was aware of the cathedral, and the 2008 Rough Guide we have still spoke highly of what Christchurch has to offer…so it was with some trepidation that we decided to take a little time to look around.

What we saw was tragic in many ways…roads closed, so many buildings under construction, buildings being propped up and a once beautiful cathedral partially ruined. And yet…there was still beauty, life and joy here. Money-permitting the cathedral will be rebuilt. The River Avon still looks beautiful. There is a shopping centre made from shipping containers (called the re:Start mall) and we bought some carved wood from someone who had acquired 8 tonnes of wood from an old destroyed tap room to turn it into new objects with a new life. It gives a little boost to views of the human spirit.

Christchurch is starting over…what a great opportunity…but when you have so many issues still unresolved, surely re-opening the art gallery is hardly a priority!

If you have not been to NZ, the chances are that you won’t have flown with Air New Zealand.

They are the only airline who circumnavigate the world.

Anyway, it is worth your while (I promise), just for fun, having a look at their safety videos on YouTube. They certainly know how to create a name for themselves and start your holiday in style!

Let’s be honest, no-one really watches safety videos…so why not have some fun with them…there are videos here for your enjoyment (selected from the grey selection bar on the linked page) such as “The most epic safety video ever made” (linked to The Hobbit), “Safety in Paradise” (for swimsuit lovers!) and more!

It is a strange thing when you are searching for things you have in common with people to deliberately try to start out along the path which may end with the striking up of friendships. This is not something you would ever really do in your native land because friendships tend to just evolve. It is these bonds with friends that are one of the harder things to deal with when leaving your homeland.

After previous comments on diversity, it is interesting that this finding of things in common is easier with people from Britain on certain levels – I guess because in some ways you might have the same back story and it is interesting to hear about the experiences of other like-minded folk.

On two separate occasions I have come across people working for the same employer who are both from Sheffield in South Yorkshire…not too far from where I moved from. And to add to that slightly surprising edge, both proclaiming a past or current affinity to Sheffield United (the home of which is Bramall Lane – for my international readers)…just like I was before I became generally disillusioned with the general entertainment value (and blinded bias of many supporters) of supporting a professional football club!

I am not sure what the odds of this happening might be because there are so many immigrants in NZ but it is kind of spooky.

On both occasions we have had nights out with said people which is really out of comfort zone when you are both reserved Brits AND strangers (one lady did say that she didn’t want to appear like they were swingers by suggesting such a night out!!) but there does seem to be a willingness over here for people to do that kind of thing…and when you are new to a place that is a beautiful thing!

When we first arrived, a fellow Brit said to us that they have found it harder to make friends with locals because they are all so friendly that it is hard to work out who your true friends really are. This is an interesting view on life in NZ and one which I sincerely hope will be proven wrong in my case over time…but only by getting out there and mixing with the locals can this be realised.

Watch this space…

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